Casey vs The Cousin
by xSlytherinxPrincessxVampirax
Summary: Chuck's cousin moves from Chicago into their apartment complex. It doesn't take a spy to realize that she has a thing for Casey. May be rated T, may be rated M. The guidelines seem to be down at the moment, so I'm erring on the side of caution and rating it M. But that might change. We'll see :)
1. Chapter 1

Adriana took a deep breath and rounded the corner to the courtyard. She froze; Chuck was standing there with two other people—a blonde girl and a very macho-looking man. After ogling the man for a brief second, she shook her head and walked toward them.

"Chuck?"

Chuck glanced over at her, staring at her blankly for a minute before his eyes widened.

"Addie?!"

She grinned, throwing her arms around him. He spun her around, and she laughed.

"What are you doing here?" He asked as he let her go.

"Uh, well, Derek and I broke up like six months ago, so there was nothing keeping me in Chicago anymore, and it's really better for me to be close to HQ, anyway. So I'm moving back."

"That's great! I mean, not the breakup part," he corrected himself, "that really sucks. But it's great to see you again! We really missed having you around."

"I really missed you guys, too."

"Who's your friend, Chuck?" the blonde girl asked.

"Oh, this is my cousin, Adriana," he grinned. "Addie, this is—"

"Agent Sarah Walker. CIA. Potential threat: deadly. Functional threat: not applicable."

Her three companions stared at her as she spoke monotonously, staring at Sarah with a blank expression.

"Uhh, yeahh…." Chuck stared at her quizzically. "And this is—"

"Major John Casey. NSA. Potential threat: extremely deadly. Functional threat: not applicable."

She blinked, and seemed to snap out of a trance. Her eyes flicked over Casey, and she smiled.

"Addie, how do you know all that?" Chuck asked tensely.

Her eyes narrowed teasingly as they shifted to him.

"I know everything."

"E-everything? Everything about w-what?"

"Everything!" she giggled.

Her gaze flicked back to Casey, who was regarding her curiously.

"What?" she asked, tilting her head.

"You look familiar."

She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. She perked up after about 30 seconds.

"Weap-Con! I go every year, and I know I've seen you there."

Casey's eyebrows shot up.

"You go to Weap-Con?"

"Yeah, I love it," she grinned. "They always have neat—"

She cut off as a scream sounded in the distance. She took off at a sprint.

"H-hey!" Chuck called after her. He ran after her, Casey and Sarah close behind.

A gunshot rang out, and Chuck froze before taking off at a dead run. When they found her, she was crouched down, talking to a teenage girl on the ground. There was a man beside them, laying on the ground clutching his knee as blood gushed from it. The sun glinted off of something silver in Adriana's hand—a gun.

"Addie!"

She looked up, smiling calmly—a stark contrast to her cousin, who was visibly freaking out.

"What—you—how—what—"

"Calm down, Chucky," she sighed, standing. "It's all good."

"Did you shoot him?!"

"Yeah, of course."

Chuck just stared at her.

A cop car pulled up—evidently someone had heard the gunshot—and she helped the girl up off the ground.

Half an hour and a police statement later, the four of them were on their way back to the apartment complex.

"You could've been hurt, you know," Chuck admonished her.

"Oh, please," she rolled her eyes. "I'm more than capable of handling myself."

"But, Addie—"

"I'm fine, Chuck."

"But—"

She growled, glaring at him, and he snapped his mouth shut. Casey chuckled. Chuck glared at him. When Casey shot him a glare of his own, however, he backed down with a docile, frightened expression.

* * *

Well...I feel like my first chapter was kind of awkward...as my first chapters usually are *sigh* Of course, I just started this story like 2 days ago, so I'll smooth it out some. The other chapters get better! Please review/PM and keep reading! I love you all! :D


	2. Chapter 2

"Frick!"

Casey paused, hand on the doorknob to his apartment. He glanced over his shoulder. Adriana was knelt down on the ground, scrambling to pick up her dropped items. He sighed.

"Oh." She looked up at him in surprise as he knelt to help her. "Thank you so much!"

He glanced at her, quickly looking away; she looked like she was about to cry from relief. He settled for a grunt in response. He blinked in surprise as he realized what he was holding in his hands. Several video games—primarily Call of Duty and Halo—and movies: The Terminator, Die Hard, Saving Private Ryan, Kill Bill, The Godfather, Uncommon Valor, Scarface, Full Metal Jacket. And those were just the ones he picked up—looking over at her stack, he saw The Last of the Mohicans, Rambo, The Pianist, Red Dawn, Salò, The Godfather Two, and…Steel Magnolias.

He wasn't one for video games, but her movie collection strongly resembled his own.

"Someone likes violence."

She laughed.

"It's not like that's _all_ I watch," she grinned, "but, yeah, action is my favorite genre."

"Action and Steel Magnolias?" he arched an eyebrow.

"It's a good movie!" she shot back.

"Never said it wasn't," he said, standing up. "It's good, it just doesn't match the rest of your collection."

"True enough," she laughed.

"What are you doing with all these, anyway?"

"Taking them inside. The box broke."

He grunted.

"So, you like Steel Magnolias?" she grinned.

He glared at her, and she giggled.

"Oh, c'mon, I'm just messin'."

"If you tell anyone—_especially_ Bartowski—I'll rip your throat out," he growled.

"I'm good at keeping secrets."

"Good."

"Uh-huh! Soo…what other movies do you like?"

"These ones."

"Well that's predictable," she giggled. "They are pretty awesome movies, though."

"Yeah," he grumbled.

"What's going on, guys?"

"Oh, hey, Ellie," Adriana smiled as her cousin walked through the gate. "I dropped my discs."

"Why didn't you just make two trips?" Ellie asked, eying the stacks.

"Inefficiency!" Adriana cried, her eyes wide in exaggerated horror.

"Uh, ok," she rolled her eyes. "Thanks for helping my ridiculous cousin, John."

He grunted in response.

"I really do appreciate it," Adriana added softly, looking up at him through her lashes.

"Sure."

"Addie, could I talk to you when you're done?" Ellie asked.

"Huh?" she blinked. "Sure."

"Great, I'll leave the door unlocked so just come on in."

"'Kay-'kay."

When Ellie had gone inside, Adriana looked back at Casey. Suddenly her stomach felt like it was in knots.

"Umm," she shuffled her feet nervously. "I can take those."

"And drop them again?" he arched an eyebrow, smirking slightly, and she felt herself blush.

"Point taken," she laughed self-consciously.

She somehow managed to get the door to her apartment open without dropping her stack of disks. She set the stack on the glass coffee table, and Casey followed suit.

"Thanks for your help," she said, smiling shyly up at him.

The shyness in her expression caught him off guard.

"Sure."

"Um…." She hesitated, lacing her fingers together in front of her chest and staring at her feet.

"What?"

"Um, well," she shuffled nervously, "Sarah and Chuck call you Casey, so I've been…but, um, can…can I call you John?"

He blinked; that was it?

"Sure."

She looked up at him with a sweet smile that, once again, caught him off guard.

"Cool," she giggled, walking back out into the courtyard with him.

He surprised her by walking with her to Ellie's door.

"Thanks again, John. Good night."

"Night."

She sighed as she slipped through the door.

"There you are," Ellie came down the stairs as soon as the door clicked shut. "Ready to talk?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

Ellie stopped in front of her, her eyebrows raised.

"John?"

"Huh?" Adriana blinked.

"You like John."

"W-wha?" Adriana blushed.

"C'mon, Addie, don't hold out on me!" Ellie begged, grabbing Adriana's hands.

"Uh, y-yeah, I…guess I kinda like him," Adriana admitted.

"I knew it!" Ellie squealed, throwing her arms around her cousin.

"Gah-! Why are you so excited?" Adriana asked, confused. "It's not like we're dating."

"Not yet!"

"Ellie!" Adriana groaned. "No plotting!"

"But—"

"No!"

#

Casey sighed as he stared up at the ceiling, unable to sleep. His thoughts wandered to the way Adriana had acted earlier—his thoughts had been straying to her all night. He'd been blaming it on Bartowski's incredibly boring life—the hours he'd spent watching the geek were agonizing. Now, though, he couldn't blame it on Bartowski.

She'd been shy. Adriana was _not_ shy—that had been made very apparent over the week she'd been there—yet she definitely had been shy when they were in her apartment.

_Kinda cute…. Such a sweet girl..._

He growled and rolled over.

_What am I doing?_

He had no need for a relationship. That'd be a good way to get hurt. Relationships were hard enough for normal people, much less for spies. Especially a relationship between a spy and a civie. He'd learned that he hard way.

When Ilsa died—or, rather, when he _thought_ she'd died—he had sworn to himself that he would never get involved again. That wasn't to say he'd sworn off all contact with women, of course; he was still human. He was no stranger to one-night stands. But never again would he be in a relationship. Never again would he become emotionally invested.

Or so he'd thought.

#

"Hey, guys!"

Adriana bounced out of her apartment, approaching the trio.

"Morning, Addie," Sarah and Chuck greeted her simultaneously.

"Yo!" she grinned. "Hey, you guys wanna come over for dinner tomorrow? Like around 6-ish?"

"That sounds great," Sarah smiled.

"You have no idea!" Chuck grinned. "Even when we were kids Addie was a great cook!"

"I can find my way around the kitchen," Adriana shrugged.

"Well I'm _really_ looking forward to it," Chuck said enthusiastically.

"Thanks, Chuckles," she laughed.

Chuck just grinned back at her.

"Um, what about you, John?" she asked semi-shyly. "Can you make it?"

He just nodded, and she grinned back at him.

"Yay!" she giggled.

His eyebrows rose slightly—he seemed amused.

"Well, I need to get going," Sarah said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Sarah," Adriana said, giving her a hug.

"Casey likes quiche," Sarah whispered in her ear.

Sarah and Adriana had become fast friends over the past week. And evidently Ellie wasn't the only one who could tell when Adriana had a crush.

"Thanks," Adriana whispered back, grinning at her as they pulled apart.

As Sarah walked out of the courtyard, Adriana's eyes were on Casey's retreating form. When his door closed behind him, she turned on her heel and started toward her own apartment.

"Since when do you call Casey 'John'?" Chuck asked.

She paused, glancing back at him.

"We don't live in Japan, you know," she said. "This is America, where people tend to go by their first names."

"Yeah, but you've been calling him 'Casey' up until now."

"Why does it matter what I call him?"

"I dunno," he shrugged. "You tell me."

She sighed.

"It _doesn't_. I'll see you tomorrow, Chuck."

She walked away, hurrying into her apartment. Locking the door behind her, she plopped down on the couch and set to work planning.

* * *

Well, I, for one, think chapter two is much better than chapter one. I hope you agree with me! I really, really value your input, whether through a review or PM. I love you all! :D And I'll love you even more if you give me feedback ;D


	3. Chapter 3

_Click! Click! Click!_

Each click of the empty barrel was the sound of death drawing nearer and nearer. Casey's barrel was empty. He'd taken three bullets to his left arm. The blood loss was making him lightheaded, and he could tell he was getting close to losing consciousness. He was already stuck sitting on the floor, too weak—he _hated_ that word—and dizzy to stand. Walker and Bartowski were caught and tranqued, bound up in the corner of the room. Across the room, a gun pointed in his direction. He wasn't sure if it was loaded with bullets or tranq darts, but it didn't really matter, anyway—he couldn't do anything about it.

_So much for dinner at Adriana's tomorrow._

Why was she the last person he thought about?

_Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!_

He didn't flinch. He couldn't stop his heart from skipping a beat, but he didn't let it show. His internal panic, however, quickly morphed into confusion as he realized he was alive, conscious, and, most surprisingly, had not been shot. The man across the room slumped to the floor. The next thing he saw was a pair of long, smooth, very attractive legs directly in front of him. He looked up.

"Adriana."

He stared at her in shock as she stuck her gun back in the holster clipped to her shorts. She knelt down beside him.

"John," she smiled softly at him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, wincing as she touched his arm.

"Saving you," she replied.

"Walker and Bartowski—"

"My men are on it."

"What—?" He stopped at the sight of two men carrying his teammates out of the room. He looked at her questioningly.

"I'll explain later," she said. "Right now we need to get you out of here and your arm taken care of."

He was weak and could barely see straight, much less walk straight, and he had no idea how she supported his weight so effortlessly—although certainly not short at 5'9", she was still a girl with a small frame. He would have expected her to at least struggle a little, but she didn't. At the very least, it didn't show.

#

"How'd you know about Castle?" Casey asked, watching Adriana start on his stitches.

They were sitting in Castle. She had already removed the bullets from his arm, and he was feeling more alert after being hooked up to a blood transfusion and I.V. Chuck and Sarah were still passed out in one of the unlocked cells.

"Same way I knew you were NSA," she smiled up at him. "I know everything."

He gave her a look, and she sighed.

"Well, if you can be trusted with the Intersect, I guess I can trust you with my secret, too."

He tilted his head back, regarding her curiously.

"There's…not really a name for it, but I have something similar in my head. I was in an accident when I was a kid, and Dad did something to my brain when I was out. If there's documentation of something, it's in my head."

"Huh."

He stared at her, processing her words.

"So you know everything about me."

"Well, no. I can control it. When I met you I looked into you a bit, but I stopped. The only thing I know about you before the NSA is your birth name."

"Why did you stop?"

She looked up at him.

"Because I respect your privacy. I don't need to know about your past. If I ever learn those things, it will be because you willed it."

She went back to his stitches, and he watched her in silence for a few minutes.

"So what do you do with all this information?" he asked, breaking the silence.

She glanced up at him with a smile.

"I help people. I'm a spy, too—I just don't answer to any one agency. I own a freelance company, and I also work with the government. I pick my missions. Sometimes I get requests from the directors, but I'm never obligated to accept."

She finished his stitches and sat back.

"You're done," she smiled at him. "You really should take it easy for a while, though."

He grunted discontentedly, and she grinned.

#

"Did you do anything but cook today?" Chuck asked, staring at the food spread across Adriana's dining room table.

"Of course," she grinned. "I went shopping for the ingredients."

Chuck sighed, rolling his eyes. Sarah laughed. Even Casey let out a chuckle.

"You're not allowed to roll your eyes at me, Chuckles," Adriana said. "I cooked for you!"

"Yeah, right, you did it for me—oof!"

Adriana whacked him in the chest. He winced, and Casey chuckled.

"Nice shot."

"Thanks," she giggled, smiling up at him.

"You ok, Chuck?" Sarah asked.

"I think she broke a rib," he whined, rubbing the spot he'd hit.

"Don't be a baby," Adriana rolled her eyes. "I didn't even hit you that hard!"

"I don't think you realize your own strength, Addie."

"Whatever," she shrugged. "You wanna eat or not?"

"Yes, please!" Chuck said, rushing into his seat.

As they were eating dessert, Adriana stood and stepped back into the kitchen. She pulled a stool to the corner and stood on it, digging around in the cabinet.

As Chuck and Sarah continued eating, Casey's eyes locked on the leg of that stool.

It was wobbling.

A lot.

He jumped out of his chair, startling Chuck and Sarah.

Adriana gasped as she fell backwards suddenly. She tensed, expecting to land on the hard tile floor, and just hoped she didn't hit her head.

She suddenly realized she'd stopped falling. And she was still upright. Her back was pressed against something warm and firm, an arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

She looked up over her shoulder. She felt her face heat up as her eyes met those beautiful blue ones she'd grown so fond of.

They stared at each other silently, Casey's good arm wrapped around her waist and her back pressed against his chest, for several seconds, during which Chuck and Sarah made themselves very busy with their dessert.

They were jolted back to reality when Chuck dropped his spoon.

Casey set her on her feet.

"Thanks," she said softly.

He grunted.

"What were you looking for?" Chuck asked as she and Casey returned to the table.

She held out the bottle in her hand.

"Sprinkles!"

* * *

Ha, ridiculousness. Gotta have sprinkles!

So, FYI, Adriana is the same age as Chuck, so Casey is 10 years her senior (Chuck was born in 1981, Casey was born in 1971-because he was 23 in 1994, when he was training with Ty Bennett). Just FYI :)

Anyway, thanks for reading! Am I the only one who feels like the chapters are getting better?

Reviews and PMs are VERY VERY welcome! :D

Love you guys! :D


	4. Chapter 4

"What are you doing?"

"Drawing," Adriana mumbled, not looking up as Chuck sat beside her at the fountain.

"Drawing what?" he asked, peering over her shoulder. "Whoa-it's Casey!"

"What about me?"

Adriana glanced up briefly as Casey came out his door.

"Oh, uh," Chuck stammered, unsure how to respond, "well-"

"I'm drawing a picture of you," Adriana said casually.

"Really."

"Yup. I'm almost done, if you want to see it."

Casey stood in front of her, watching her hand fly across the page. A few minutes later, she set her pencil down and handed him the sketchbook. His eyebrows shot up.

"Huh."

"Good, isn't she?" Chuck grinned proudly, putting an arm around his cousin.

"Yeah."

"Thanks!" she beamed up at him.

"Is that a new sketchbook?" Chuck asked.

"Yeah," she nodded. "There are only two pictures in it."

"Can we see the other one?" he grinned.

"Sure."

Casey flipped back to the previous page. He arched an eyebrow, looking at her with an amused expression. She grinned back at him. He handed the sketchbook to Chuck, who looked at it for a moment before looking at Adriana quizzically.

"Is that Casey?"

Blue eyes, suit, gun, and a speech bubble saying "Grr." Who else could it be?

"Yep, it's a chibi," she nodded. "Cute, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Chuck agreed. "Makes it hard to believe it's Casey."

Casey glared at him. Adriana rolled her eyes.

"You're a dork, Chuckles."

"Says the girl with a sketchbook full of Casey."

"Two pictures hardly counts as 'full'," she countered.

"You-"

"Get lost, Bartowski," Casey growled suddenly.

Chuck looked at him with a frightened expression for half a second before taking off.

"Idiot."

"Bad day?" Adriana asked, looking up at Casey.

"Just sick of his rambling."

"I'm so used to it I barely notice half the time," she laughed. "So where you headed?"

"Huh?" he blinked. "Oh. Nowhere in particular. Just bored."

"Hmm," she checked the time on her phone, then looked up at him. "Wanna grab some lunch? I'm bored of drawing."

"Sure."

"Cool!" she grinned. "Gimme just a sec."

She dashed into her apartment. When she came back a minute later, she had swapped her sketchbook for her purse. As she was locking her door, she heard Ellie's voice from behind her.

"Hey, guys!" Ellie said. "Going out?"

"Yeah, we're heading out for lunch," Adriana replied with a smile.

Casey just nodded in confirmation.

"Oh, well I won't get in your way," Ellie smiled. "Have fun!"

Adriana sighed as she and Casey walked toward his Vic.

"Somehow, I think she meant more than the literal interpretation of 'going out'," she said.

"I think so, too."

#

Casey paused the movie; there was shouting coming from the courtyard. He put his headphones on and turned to the monitor.

Adriana.

She was standing by the fountain with some guy–some scrawny punk–arguing.

"Go home, Derek!" she yelled.

_Derek?_

Casey blinked.

_Ah. The ex.  
_  
"Not until you agree to come back with me!" Derek shouted back at her.

"I'm never coming back!" she snapped. "I don't want anything to do with you! I never want to see your face or hear your voice ever again!"

Derek slapped her.

Hard.

Casey snapped. Half a second later, he was barreling out the door with a murderous expression.

Adriana clenched her fist and jaw, channeling all her willpower into her efforts not to kill Derek.

_Whack-thud!_

Her head snapped up. Derek was sprawled out on the ground. Casey was standing in front of her, his chest heaving as he glared sharply at her ex-boyfriend.

"John."

Casey turned back to her, his expression softening slightly.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she nodded.

A groan snapped their attention back to Derek. He slowly pushed himself upright looked up at them with a glare.

"What the-"

He stopped when he caught sight of Casey.

"Get out of here," Casey growled.

Derek's eyes widened. He scrambled to his feet and scurried out of the courtyard.

"Thanks," Adriana smiled up at him. "I don't think he'll be back."

"He won't, if he knows what's good for him."

She giggled.

"Was that Derek?" Ellie asked, walking in with Devon and Chuck.

"Yeah, he tried to make me go back to Chicago with him," Adriana said. "Even got physical."

"He hit you?" Devon asked, his eyes widening.

"Yeah, but John took care of it," she smiled. "Derek's nose looked like it was completely crushed. Jaw might've been broken, too."

"Remind me never to make him mad," Devon said to Ellie.

Ellie just rolled her eyes.

"Thanks for taking care of her, John," she said. "You seem to always pop up right when she needs a hand."

"I heard them yelling," he explained.

"You could hear us?" Adriana's eyebrows shot up.

"Yeah. Over my movie."

"Oh, wow," she laughed sheepishly. "Sorry for interrupting."

"Eh."

"You would've pounded my face in if_ I_ interrupted your movie," Chuck grumbled.

Ellie looked at her brother with an alarmed expression.

"He's exaggerating," Adriana explained. "He just means that I'm John's favorite. Right, Chuck?"

"Yeah," Chuck nodded hurriedly.

"It's only natural, given my adorableness," she tilted her head with a cheeky grin.

Casey didn't deny it.

#

Chuck shuffled nervously on the front step. He took a deep breath and rapped on Casey's door. The door swung open a second later, and Casey appeared, hand behind his back.

The knowledge that Casey was packing did _not_ help his nerves.

"What?" Casey asked impatiently.

Chuck took a deep breath as Casey glared at him.

"Stop being a coward," he said hurriedly.

Casey's eyebrow rose, and then his eyes narrowed irritably.

"What did you say?" he growled.

"Um, s-stop being a coward," he repeated timidly.

"That's what I thought."

Casey shifted, and Chuck flinched, throwing his arms up in front of his face.

"Don't hurt me!"

Casey crossed his arms and tilted his head back, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes at Chuck's cowardice and stupidity. He just stared down at him. Chuck relaxed slightly and went on to explain. The first sentence out of his mouth made Casey's heart stop.

"As weird as it is to think about you dating my cousin—and I mean, that's a _really_ disturbing thought—" Chuck took a deep breath, "she likes you."

Casey's head tilted slightly and he continued to stare silently at Chuck through narrowed eyes.

"And as weird as it is to think about my cousin being attractive," Chuck continued, "I'm aware of the fact that she is. And you _know_ she likes you—you'd have to be _incredibly_ dense not to. And you're not doing anything about it."

Casey growled. To the surprise of both men, Chuck barely flinched.

"The only explanation I can come up with is that you're afraid," Chuck went on. "But Casey, you could have an actual _relationship_ with her. I don't know how often spies get that chance, but it can't be often. But Addie—you guys could do it. She's a spy, too, so she understands the complications that come with it. She has clearance—really high clearance—so you wouldn't have to keep secrets and lie to her. And if you did have to, she'd get it. And you wouldn't have to worry about endangering her because she's used to dangerous situations. She's understanding and adaptable and strong and good at keeping secrets. So stop being a coward."

"Are you done?"

Chuck sighed.

"Yeah, I'm done."

"Hm."

The door closed in his face.

Chuck's shoulders dropped. He sighed sadly and shuffled away.

* * *

Aww, Chuckles! I love him-how can you not love him? :D

Aaaanywho, thanks for reading! :D I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews, PMs, and followers keep me writing! :D

I love you all!


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry, guys, it starts out as a songfic. It's only the first section, though, so please endure it! And there is narrative in between the sections of song, so you really should read it if you can mentally survive it, but if you just can't deal with a songfic you won't miss anything TOO important if you skip it.**

**Ok, read on! :D**

* * *

"I'm tuggin' at my hair, I'm pullin' at my clothes

I'm tryin' to keep my cool, I know it shows."

Adriana was sitting at the fountain, just starting her song when Chuck, Sarah, and Casey walked into the courtyard.

"I'm starin' at my feet, my cheeks are turnin' red  
I'm searchin' for the words inside my head."

The trio stopped at the fountain, gathered around her to listen as she strummed her guitar.

"I'm feelin' nervous  
Tryin' to be so perfect  
'Cause I know you're worth it  
You're worth it, yeah."

As she glanced at Casey, Adriana felt the full impact of the lyrics, and her heart skipped a beat.

"If I could say what I want to say  
I say I wanna blow you away  
Be with you every night  
Am I squeezing you too tight?"

Adriana was not the type to get stage fright; she loved to perform.

"If I could say what I want to see  
I want to see you go down on one knee  
Marry me today  
Guess I'm wishin' my life away  
With these things I'll never say."

She barely noticed Chuck and Sarah were there-she could play for a huge crowd and barely notice them.

"It don't do me any good, it's just a waste of time  
What use is it to you what's on my mind?  
If it ain't comin' out, we're not goin' anywhere  
So why can't I just tell you that I care?"

But Casey's attention made her nervous, her heart pounding in her chest.

"'Cause I'm feelin' nervous  
Tryin' to be so perfect  
'Cause I know you're worth it  
You're worth it, yeah."

Sarah glanced over at Casey, who was staring intently at Adriana.

"If I could say what I want to say  
I say I wanna blow you away  
Be with you every night  
Am I squeezing you too tight?"

Adriana's eyes caught Sarah's, and Sarah smiled.

"If I could say what I want to see  
I want to see you go down on one knee  
Marry me today  
Yes, I'm wishing my life away  
And these things I'll never say."

Adriana felt her emotions bubbling up as the song slowed down.

"What is wrong with my tongue?  
These words keep slippin' away  
I stutter, I stumble  
Like I've got nothin' to say."

Sarah grabbed Chuck's arm.

"'Cause I'm feelin' nervous  
Tryin' to be so perfect  
'Cause I know you're worth it  
You're worth it, yeah."

Sarah led Chuck away, leaving Adriana and Casey alone in the courtyard.

"Yes, I'm wishing my life away  
But these things I'll never say."

Adriana wasn't sure if she was glad to be alone with him or not.

"If I could say what I want to say  
I say I wanna blow you away  
Be with you every night  
Am I squeezing you too tight?"

She looked at him, and he stared back at her.

"If I could say what I want to see  
I want to see you go down on one knee  
Marry me today  
Yes, I'm wishing my life away  
But these things I'll never say  
These things I'll never say."

She held his gaze as she ended her song. Continuing to maintain eye contact, she set her guitar down.

Casey sat down beside her silently, staring down at the ground. She watched him. They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"You ok?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"I'm fine."

She looked at him quietly. He seemed deep in thought, worried about something. She lightly rested her hand on his knee. He stared at her hand for a minute before placing his own over it.

She smiled softly.

Casey wasn't sure how long they sat like that. He was lost in thought until something suddenly pressed against his arm. He looked down; Adriana had fallen asleep. He brushed her hair back over her ear and just watched her. She looked so small and defenseless, in contrast to her usual vibrancy.

"Hey, John. What-" Ellie froze as Adriana came into view. "Oh. Did she just fall asleep out of nowhere?"

"Yeah."

"Wow, I haven't seen her do that since she was six. She must feel really safe around you."

He looked up at her quizzically.

"Um, when she was six...there was an accident. She won't admit it, but she's never really recovered. She has a hard time falling and staying asleep, and she suffers from frequent night terrors."

"She mentioned that she was in an accident when she was a kid," he said, looking down at her thoughtfully.

"She told you?" Ellie's eyebrows rose. "That's surprising. She doesn't really like to talk about it. I don't think any of her boyfriends have known."

"Hm."

"John..."

"Huh?" he looked back up at her.

"I know she seems really strong, and in a way she is, but...she's also really fragile. You know, emotionally. She's more vulnerable than she lets on. So...handle her with care."

He stared at her for a second before giving a small nod. Ellie smiled.

"I have a key to her apartment, if you want to take her inside."

"Yeah."

"I'll grab it."

She went into her apartment, leaving him alone with Adriana again. He stared down at her sleeping form. Normally he'd have a hard time thinking of her as vulnerable-even when she acted shy she was confident, and she was usually bold and energetic. But looking at her sleeping against his side, it was surprisingly easy to see. She was like a completely different person.

Ellie came back with Adriana's spare key. She grabbed the guitar, and he scooped Adriana up into his arms.

Ellie waited by the door while he carried her into her bedroom. He pulled the blanket up over her, brushed her hair out of her face, and stole one last look at her sleeping face before leaving.

#

Casey flopped down on his bed with a growl. Bartowski's words from the night before had been playing over and over in his head from the moment he'd closed the door in his face. He'd been wrestling with it for 24 hours. The resolutions he'd made in the past had already been going head-to-head with what he wanted now. After Bartowski showed up at his door, though, the tables had started to turn. After fretting all day, as he lay in bed his internal war finally came to an end. He came to a conclusion.

He would never, _ever_ admit it out loud.

Bartowski was right.

* * *

Ok, so generally I do NOT do songfics. I did them when I was like 12, but I've since outgrown it. But I was listening to music and that song was just so PERFECT for this! SO I made an exception :)

If you don't like it, I apologize, but please take some solace in the knowledge that I don't do songs often :)

Aand, I could really use some feedback, guys! I can see that people are reading this, but I have no idea if you guys are enjoying it! I would love to hear all the things you guys do and don't like about it! I can't improve if I never get any feedback.

So, anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! And please please please review/PM! And followers are great, too :)

I love you guys!


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